Shodai Taizou (初代泰蔵)

Made by the Kunimare Sake Brewery in Mashike, Hokkaido, this is a kasutori shochu (distilled from sake lees), which the brewery had been making under the name Hinode (日の出) until the mid 1900s, when it was halted after the chaos of the war. The brewery only recently restarted shochu production in 2005 under the name Shodai Taizou (The First Taizou). The aroma of sake lees is strong in the nose, with plenty of yeast. However, on the palate it’s full of umami without being overpowered by the aroma, a problem for a lot of kasutori shochu. Rich with a smooth finish. Wonderful with ice or straight.

JC 10/21: I was really impressed by Shodai Taizou. I usually can’t handle kasutori shochu due to those strong ginjo-like aromas (I feel they smell like feet), but while this shochu has those notes in the nose, it’s incredibly savory and muted in the mouth. I loved the smoothness and tropical fruit. Highly recommended. 9/10 for kasutori